Days after a massive ice storm struck northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, thousands are still without power. Some of those people have taken the feeling of powerlessness and put it back into their own hands. Zac Bobak is a salesman at Lowe’s. He says they can barely keep generators on the shelves. “This is the third shipment we've gotten in the past two days the first day it happened we ran out in two hours.”
Bobak says at one point there was a waiting list for generators “when I didn't have any I had people waiting taking names.” First Energy estimates that there are a little less than 4,000 people in the Toledo area without power, down from 45,000 initially impacted.
Mark Durbin, a spokesman for First Energy says “it’s an ongoing process were working and we'll continue to work until everybody gets back on.” While some area hotels are reporting guests are beginning to return home, the Hampton Inn in north Toledo says they're still booked near capacity. Leaving those left without to wonder what's the hold up?
“In the winter time an ice storm is the worse thing that can happen to an electrical system because you typically have the ice built up on limbs and trees that are above our equipment.” Durbin explains that ice covered branches are dangerous and could fall at any time. They must be removed before crews can restore power safely.
Even though there's about 4,000 without power in the Toledo area, First Energy expects that less than 500 of those people will have to go without power again overnight tonight.
Across southeast Michigan there are reportedly 13,000 without power in Lenawee county, 8,500 in Hillsdale county and 6,100 in Monroe county.
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